Australian Cruise Ship Runs Aground Off Papua New Guinea

An Australian cruise ship struck a reef and ran aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Saturday morning, leaving 123 people on board without injuries as authorities worked to refloat the vessel.

The Coral Adventurer, operated by Coral Expeditions, collided with the reef approximately 30 kilometers from Lae, Papua New Guinea's second-largest city, around 6 a.m. local time. The incident occurred during the ship's 12-night voyage, which departed from Cairns, Australia, on December 18 with 80 passengers and 43 crew members. The luxury expedition cruise, priced at 13,280 Australian dollars per person, had reached Papua New Guinea waters on December 20 and was navigating the coastline when the grounding happened. Passengers were scheduled to disembark on December 30.

A spokesperson for Coral Expeditions confirmed that all passengers and crew remained safe on the vessel. "All passengers and crew are safe," the spokesperson said. An initial inspection found no damage to the ship, though further official checks of the hull and surrounding marine environment were underway as standard procedure. Crew members alerted authorities immediately, and an officer from the Papua New Guinea...